1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers of liquid such as swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, swim spas, and the like, and, more particularly, to automatic cover assemblies for such containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Swimming pools, for example, are commonly covered to prevent debris from entering the pool, to preserve chemical treatments in the water and to heat the pool in the case of a solar cover. An automatic pool cover provides convenience for a user by allowing the cover to be easily extended over the pool during periods of non-use, and retracted during periods of use. Typically, a pool cover box is placed in or on the decking surrounding the swimming pool at a location opposite from the walk-in steps (i.e., usually located at the deep end of the pool). The pool cover box extends across the width of the swimming pool, and within the box is mounted a reel (which can be referred to as a drum) to store the pool cover on, an electric (or hydraulic) motor, and a mechanism to deploy and retract the pool cover.
A drive mechanism for driving the extension and retraction of the pool cover is known. Such a drive mechanism can be a spiral-jaw clutch system including a double driver member having a diagonal cam slot, an end member associated with a cover drum, and an end member associated with a reel. One problem with such a drive mechanism is that the double driver member must be mounted to a drive shaft in a specific orientation depending upon whether a motor-left or a motor-right orientation is used.
What is needed in the art is a drive device that selectively effects a positive engagement with a driven end members and that can be used as a universal drive device regardless of whether a motor-left or a motor-right orientation is used.